Transmission-gear.



No. 704,699. Patented July l5, |992.

u-.g FEsGus'snN. TnANsmssmN GEAR.

(No Model.)

UNITEDi STATES PATENT OEEICE.

DAVID EERGUSSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEORGE N. PIERCE COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TRANSMISSION-GEAR'.

SPECIFICATION forming part er Letters Patent No. 704,699, dated .Iu'iy 15, 1902.

Application tiled' April 1'?, 1902. Y Serial No. 103,291. (No model.)

To 1f/ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that l, DAVID FERGUssoN, a subject of the King'of Great Britain, and a resident of Budalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Transmission-Gears, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to a variable-speed and reversing gear for transmitting power Io from a shaft in one direction at different speeds or in a reverse direction without changing the speed or direction of rotation of the shaft.

The 'object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong, and noiseless transmissiongear which is composed of few parts and in which the wear is reduced to' aminimum. In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a transzo mission-gear embodying the invention. Fig.

2 is a transverse section through the slowspeed gear on line 2 2, Fig. l.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures. y A represents a transmission-shaft, which is journaled in suitable bearings ct and is intended to be driven in a constant direction in any suitable manner from a motor or other source of power. B represents a driving-pinion,which is formed with or carried byl a sleeve keyed to said shaft, so as to rotate therewith, and C represents a driven pinion, which is carried by or formed with a hollow shaft e, journaled to rotate about the axis of rotation of the transmission-shaft, preferably on suitable bushings on the transmission'- shaft. The hollow shaft is held from. longitudinal i movement on the transmission-shaft by suitable means, such as a locking-collar between one end of the hollow shaft and the drivingpinion and a distance-collar c' between the opposite end ofthe hollow shaft and the adjacent bearing for the transmission-shaft. The hollow shaft constitutes a carrier for one or more planet-pinions D. In the construetion shown there are two planet pinions, which are journaled Aon studs or pins d, secured to a plate or arms at the inner end of the hollow shaft and mesh with and are driven 5o by the driving-pinion B.

E represents a wheel which is journaled to rotate about the axisof rotation of the transmission-shaft, preferably on a suitable bushing on the sleeve of the driving-pinion. The inner side of the rim of said wheel overhangs or surrounds the planet-pinions and the driving-pinion and is provided with internal gearteeth e,'whichmesh with the planet-pinions.

e represents a cover plate or disk which is loosely journaled on a bushing on the inner 6o end of the hollow shaft and is secured at its outer edge'to an outwardly-extending liange e2 on the adjacent edge of the rim of the wheel E. The wheel E and the cover plate or disk e thus constitute a dust-proof casing or greasebox completely inclosing the planet and driving pinions and adapted to hold grease or oil for the pinions to run in. Thawheel E or grease-casing is held from longitudinal movement in one direction by the engagement of 7o the cover-plate with the plate which carries the planet-pinions and from opposite moveyment by a collar on the driving-pinion sleeve 'inside of the wheel-hub, and the engagement of the wheel-hub with this collar prevents longitudinal movement of the driving-pinion in one direction, while it is held from opposite movement by the hollow shaft.

lf the wheel E is locked to the transmissionshaft, so as to rotate therewith, the planet- 8o pinions being held from rotation between the driving-pinion and the internal gear-teeth of the wheel will be locked to the shaft and will move with the latter, carrying the hollow shaft and driven pinion with the transmission-shaft and at the same speed. lf the wheel E is held from rotation, the planet-pinions will be rotated on their studs by the driving-pinion and will roll around the internal gear, thus rotating the hollow shaft and driven 9o' pinion in the same direction as the transmission-shaft and at a slow speed, determined by the relative sizes of the driving and planet pinions. I Any suitable or ordinary means A may be employed for locking the wheel E to the transmission-shaft or holding it stationary. In the construction shownthe outwardlyextending part E of the wheel-rim constitutes one member of an ordinary friction-clutch, the other member f of which is fixed to the roo outer end of the sleeve of the driving-pinion.

f" represents the clutch-operating collar,

which is loosely mounted on the transmissionshaft and is operatively connected to the clutch by the usual links f2 and levers fsl The collar is moved longitudinally on the shaft tovoperate the clutch by any suitable means, such as an arm f4, which is connected to a rock-shaft f5 and to the slide-collar. When the collar is moved in one direction, the wheel is clutched to the shaft, and When moved in the other direction the wheel is released, so as to permit the independent rotation of the shaft. The circumferential faces of the flange e2 on the wheel and the cover disk or plate constitute a brake-surface which is surrounded by a band-brake Grof ordinary construction and which may be operated by any Wellknown instrumentalities. l/Vhen the brake is tightened about the brake-surface, the wheel E is held stationary.

The reversing-gearing is preferably constructed as follows:

H represents a reversing counter shaft which is journaled parallel with the transmission-shaft eccentricallyin a circular bushing 7L, which is mounted to turn about its axis in a iixed bearing 7L on a bearing-bracket h2 or any suitable stationary part.

I represents a lever or arm which is fixed to the eccentric bushing and is adapted when moved to rock or turn the bushing in its bearing, and thus move the reversing countershaft toward or from the transmission-shaft. The reversing counter-shaft is driven from the transmission-shaft by suitable meansfor instance, a sprocket-wheel j, fixed to the end of the transmission-shaft and connected lo a sprocket-wheel j', fixed on the adjacent end of the reversing-shaft, by a sprocketchaiujg.

K represents a friction Wheel, which is fixed to the inner end of the reversing counter-shaf t, and k represents a cooperating friction-wheel, which is keyed or ixed to the hollow shaft carrying the driven pinion between the hub of the cover-disk c and the bearing for the transmission-shaft. The reversing counter-shaft is driven in the same direction as the transmission shaft through the sprocket wheels and chain, and when the friction-wheel K is moved into frictional contact with the friction-wheel 7o by rocking the eccentric bushing for the reversing-shaft causes the hollow shaft and driven pinion to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the transmission-shaft and at a speed determined by the relative sizes of the driving-sprockets for the reversing shaft and the frictionwheels. When the reversing-drive is brought into action, the planet-pinions roll idly around on the driving-pinion.

The described gearing is especially desirable in connection with high-speed motors, as it obviates the necessity of small reducing gear-wheels driven at a high rate of speed, which consequently are subject to great Wear and soon become worn and noisy in operation. The friction-wheels being arranged as describedare not confined and can be made strong and large enough to insure the necessary frictional contact. They are practically noiseless in operation and can be proportioned to give the desired ratio of speed.

The transmission-gear herein described is designed more particularly for transmitting power from the motor to the driving-axle-of a motor-vehicle and is shown in the drawings in such relation. v

L represents the driving-axle of a motorvehicle. The axle is driven from the driven pinion C by suitable means, such as a gearwheel Z, which meshes with the driven pinion and may be secured directly to the axle or drive it indirectly through the medium of compensating gearing located in' the protecting-casing Z surrounding the gear-wheel Z. As shown, this casing Z' is supported by the driving-axle L and the bracket h2 for the bearing for the reversing counter-shaft.

M represents a casing which surrounds the clutch and operating connections for protecting the same fromv dirt and dust.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a transmission device adapted to be rotated at a constant speed in one direction, a driven element, gearing between said transmission device and driven element and operated by the former for rotating said driven element in one direction at different speeds, a counter-shaft movable toward and from said transmission device and IOO driven by the latter, and gearing between said counter-shaft and said driven element for rotating the latter in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a transmission device adapted to berotated at a constant speed in one direction, a driven element, gearing between said transmission device and driven element and operated by the former for causing said driven element to rotate in the same direction as said transmission device -and at different speeds, a counter-shaft movable toward and from said transmission device and driven by the latter, and gearing between said counter-shaft and said driven element for rotating the latter in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said transmission device, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a transmission-shaft, a driven element, means operated by said IOS IIC

shaft for causing the rotation of said driven y centrically .to the axis of said Acounter-shaft and adapted to be moved to move said conn-- a driven pinion j ournaled to rotate about the axis of said shaft, means for looking said pinion to said shaft, means for driving said pinion independently of said shaft, a countershaft, a bearing for said counter-shaft arranged eccentrically to the axis thereofeand adapted Vto be moved to move said countershaft toward and from said transmissionshaft, a sprocket-Wheel iixed to said transmission-shaft, a sprocket-Wheel fixed to said counter-shaft, a chain connecting said sprooket-wheels, a friction-wheel secured to said oounter-shaft,a11d a friction-wheel xed to said driven pinion and adapted to be engaged by said friction-Wheel secured to said countershaft, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a transmission-shaft,

a hollow shaft rotatable about the axis of said Y transmission-shaft, means operated by said Wheel carriedA by said hollow Shaft, a gearwheel connected to said counter-shaft, and means for moving one of said gear-Wheels into operative relation with the other, substantially as set forth. v

7. The combination of a transmission-shaft, a driving-pinion ixed on said shaft, a driven pinion jonrnaled to rotate about the axis of said transmission-shaft, an internal gear surrounding said driving-pinion, planet-pinions journaled on a part fixed to said driven pinion and meshing with said driving-pinion and with said internal gear, means for locking saidinternal gear to said transmissionshaft, means for holding said internal gear from rotation, a reversing-shaft journaled parallel to said transmission-shaft and driven by the latter, means for moving the same toward and from the transmission-shaft, a friction-Wheel secured to said driven pinion, and a friction-wheel secured to said reversing-shaft and adapted to be moved into frictional contact with said friction-wheel secured to said driven pinion, substantiaily as set forth. e

Witness my hand this 12th day of April,

DAVID FERGUSSON. Witnesses:

CHAS. W. VPARKER,- JNo. J. BoNNER. 

